New York Bans Foie Gras in Restaurants
Freely accessible: The animal welfare package will protect animals used for food or entertainment, as well as wildlife.
Good News: On 30 October 2019, the New York City Council passed, by an overwhelming majority, a law banning the sale of foie gras in the city — one of the largest markets in the country — starting in 2022.
Ban on Grounds of Animal Cruelty
New York City will join California in banning the sale of foie gras, the fattened liver of a duck or goose, on grounds of animal cruelty.
Concerns about animal cruelty prompted the City Council to approve the ban.
«New York is the food capital of the world. How is it possible that New York won't have foie gras?», said Marco Moreira, chef and owner of Tocqueville, a renowned French restaurant near Union Square that offers a foie gras appetizer from the Hudson Valley. «What's next? No more veal? No more mushrooms?»
Most foie gras is produced through a process known as gavage. Ducks are force-fed a fatty corn-based mixture that engorges their livers. This process requires tubes to be inserted into a duck's throat for a 20-day feeding period, causing the liver to swell to up to ten times its normal size. The procedure can result in ducks being too large to walk or breathe before they are slaughtered, animal activists say.
Carlina Rivera, a Manhattan city council member who has supported the foie gras legislation, said the bill addresses “the most inhumane process” in the commercial food industry. “This is one of the most violent practices and it is carried out for a pure luxury product,” she said.
Other countries, including India, Israel, and the United Kingdom, have banned the sale or production of foie gras.
Fines of up to $2’000 per violation
The proposed legislation bans the sale of foie gras produced from “force-fed birds,” with each violation subject to a fine of $2,000. However, not all foie gras comes from force-fed ducks or geese, and determining whether foie gras was produced illegally could pose an enforcement challenge.
Under the law, all foie gras is presumed to come from force-fed ducks or geese unless “documentary” evidence is provided to the contrary.
Around 1,000 New York restaurants have foie gras on the menu. The impact may be greater on the farms north of New York City where foie gras is produced.
According to Hudson Valley Foie Gras and La Belle Farm in Sullivan County, they employ around 400 workers, and New York City accounts for approximately 30% of their business. Hudson Valley, which slaughters 800 ducks per day, reported selling $15 million worth of foie gras in the past year.
A foie gras liver weighing 90 grams can sell for $125. The bones and feathers of foie gras ducks are used for other products such as dog food and coats.
New York’s Most Significant Animal Welfare Legislation
The ban will take effect three years after it is enacted, giving businesses the opportunity to adapt their business models. The maximum penalty for violations of the ban was increased from $1,000 to $2,000 per violation. However, the proposed criminal sanction of up to one year in prison was dropped.
Ms. Rivera dismissed concerns that the ban would put farms in the hinterland out of business.
“These farms produce dozens of other products, and the feeding tube is aggressively cruel,” said Ms. Rivera. “There is an exotic animal ban in New York City and people still go to the circus.»
More than half of the city council — 30 members — committed to passing the foie gras law, which was part of a package of legislation to combat animal cruelty that advocates said was among the most significant passed in New York City in years. In the end, 42 members voted in favor of the ban.
Other laws passed in the package prevent carriage horses from having to work on hot and humid days, the implementation of an animal welfare office under the mayor, and the ban on the capture and transfer of wild birds, such as pigeons. New York's birds are sometimes caught and transported out of the country to serve as live targets for recreational hunters at shooting events.
Justin L. Brannan, a Democratic city councilman representing Brooklyn who supported the animal welfare legislation, said the animal welfare office would create a central place for discussing animal issues.
««When an animal problem came up, you never knew who to call», he said.
Animal welfare advocates cheered as the laws were passed, and they overcame the scattered opposition.
Allie Feldman Taylor, founder and president of Voters for Animal Rights, said the animal welfare package would protect animals exploited for food and entertainment, as well as wildlife. She described the bills as the «most significant animal welfare legislation in the history of our city», which serves as proof that New York is becoming ever more compassionate, she said.
